Far up in a green
valley in the Island of Hoy stands an immense boulder. It is hollow
inside, and the natives of these northern islands call it the
Dwarfie Stone, because long centuries ago, so the legend has it,
Snorro the Dwarf lived there.
Nobody knew where Snorro came from, or how long he had dwelt in the
dark chamber inside the Dwarfie Stone. All that they knew about him
was that he was a little man, with a queer, twisted, deformed body
and a face of marvellous beauty, which never seemed to look any
older, but was always smiling and young.
Men said that this was because Snorro’s father had been a Fairy, and
not a denizen of earth, who had bequeathed to his son the gift of
perpetual youth, but nobody knew whether this were true or not, for
the Dwarf had inhabited the Dwarfie Stone long before the oldest man
or woman in Hoy had been born.
One thing was certain, however: he had inherited from his mother,
whom all men agreed had been mortal, the dangerous qualities of
vanity and ambition. And the longer he lived the more vain and
ambitious did he become, until at last he always carried a mirror of
polished steel round his neck, into which he constantly looked in
order to see the reflection of his handsome face.
And he would not attend to the country people who came to seek his
help, unless they bowed themselves humbly before him and spoke to
him as if he were a King.
I say that the country people sought his help, for he spent his
time, or appeared to spend it, in collecting herbs and simples on
the hillsides, which he carried home with him to his dark abode, and
distilled medicines and potions from them, which he sold to his
neighbours at wondrous high prices.
He was also the possessor of a wonderful leathern-covered book,
clasped with clasps of brass, over which he would pore for hours
together, and out of which he would tell the simple Islanders their
fortunes, if they would.
For they feared the book almost as much as they feared Snorro
himself, for it was whispered that it had once belonged to Odin, and
they crossed themselves for protection as they named the mighty
Enchanter.
But all the time they never guessed the real reason why Snorro chose
to live in the Dwarfie Stone.
I will tell you why he did so. Not very far from the Stone there was
a curious hill, shaped exactly like a wart.
It was known as the Wart Hill of Hoy, and men said that somewhere in
the side of it was hidden a wonderful carbuncle, which, when it was
found, would bestow on its finder marvellous magic gifts — Health,
Wealth, and Happiness. Everything, in fact, that a human being could
desire.
And the curious thing about this carbuncle was, that it was said
that it could be seen at certain times, if only the people who were
looking for it were at the right spot at the right moment.
Now Snorro had made up his mind that he would find this wonderful
stone, so, while he pretended to spend all his time in reading his
great book or distilling medicines from his herbs, he was really
keeping a keen look-out during his wanderings, noting every tuft of
grass or piece of rock under which it might be hidden. And at night,
when everyone else was asleep, he would creep out, with pickaxe and
spade, to turn over the rocks or dig over the turf, in the hope of
finding the long-sought-for treasure underneath them.
He was always accompanied on these occasions by an enormous
grey-headed Raven, who lived in the cave along with him, and who was
his bosom friend and companion. The Islanders feared this bird of
ill omen as much, perhaps, as they feared its Master; for, although
they went to consult Snorro in all their difficulties and
perplexities, and bought medicines and love-potions from him, they
always looked upon him with a certain dread, feeling that there was
something weird and uncanny about him.
Now, at the time we are speaking of, Orkney was governed by two
Earls, who were half-brothers. Paul, the elder, was a tall, handsome
man, with dark hair, and eyes like sloes. All the country people
loved him, for he was so skilled in knightly exercises, and had such
a sweet and loving nature, that no one could help being fond of him.
Old people’s eyes would brighten at the sight of him, and the little
children would run out to greet him as he rode by their mothers
doors.
And this was the more remarkable because, with all his winning
manner, he had such a lack of conversation that men called him Paul
the Silent, or Paul the Taciturn.
Harold, on the other hand, was as different from his brother as
night is from day. He was fair-haired and blue-eyed, and he had
gained for himself the name of Harold the Orator, because he was
always free of speech and ready with his tongue.
But for all this he was not a favourite. For he was haughty, and
jealous, and quick-tempered, and the old folks' eyes did not
brighten at the sight of him, and the babes, instead of toddling out
to greet him, hid their faces in their mothers' skirts when they saw
him coming.
Harold could not help knowing that the people liked his silent
brother best, and the knowledge made him jealous of him, so a
coldness sprang up between them.
Now it chanced, one summer, that Earl Harold went on a visit to the
King of Scotland, accompanied by his mother, the Countess Helga, and
her sister, the Countess Fraukirk.
And while he was at Court he met a charming young Irish lady, the
Lady Morna, who had oome from Ireland to Scotland to attend upon the
Scottish Queen. She was so sweet, and good, and gentle that Earl
Harold’s heart was won, and he made up his mind that she, and only
she, should be his bride.
But although he had paid her much attention, Lady Morna had
sometimes caught glimpses of his jealous temper; she had seen an
evil expression in his eyes, and had heard him speak sharply to his
servants, and she had no wish to marry him. So, to his great
amazement, she refused the honour which he offered her, and told him
that she would prefer to remain as she was.
Earl Harold ground his teeth in silent rage, but he saw that it was
no use pressing his suit at that moment. So what he could not obtain
by his own merits he determined to obtain by guile.
Accordingly he begged his mother to persuade the Lady Morna to go
back with them on a visit, hoping that when she was alone with him
in Orkney, he would be able to overcome her prejudice against him,
and induce her to become his wife. And all the while he never
remembered his brother Paul; or, if he did, he never thought it
possible that he could be his rival.
But that was just the very thing that happened. The Lady Morna,
thinking no evil, accepted the Countess Helga's invitation, and no
sooner had the party arrived back in Orkney than Paul, charmed with
the grace and beauty of the fair Irish Maiden, fell head over ears
in love with her. And the Lady Morna, from the very first hour that
she saw him, returned his love.
Of course this state of things could not long go on hidden, and when
Harold realised what had happened his anger and jealousy knew no
bounds. Seizing a dagger, he rushed up to the turret where his
brother was sitting in his private apartments, and threatened to
stab him to the heart if he did not promise to give up all thoughts
of winning the lovely stranger.
But Paul met him with pleasant words.
“Calm thyself, Brother," he said. “It is true that I love the lady,
but that is no proof that I shall win her. Is it likely that she
will choose me, whom all men name Paul the Silent, when she hath the
chance of marrying you, whose tongue moves so swiftly that to you is
given the proud title of Harold thQ Orator?”
At these words Harold's vanity was flattered, and he thought that,
after all, his step-brother was right, and that he had a very small
chance, with his meagre gift of speech, of being successful in his
suit. So he threw down his dagger, and, shaking hands with him,
begged him to pardon his unkind thoughts, and went down the winding
stair again in high good-humour with himself and all the world.
By this time it was coming near to the Feast of Yule, and at that
Festival it was the custom for the Earl and his Court to leave
Kirkwall for some weeks, and go to the great Palace of Orphir, nine
miles distant. And in order to see that everything was ready, Earl
Paul took his departure some days before the others.
The evening before he left he chanced to find the Lady Morna sitting
alone in one of the deep windows of the great hall. She had been
weeping, for she was full of sadness at the thought of his
departure; and at the sight of her distress the kind-hearted young
Earl could no longer contain himself, but, folding her in his arms,
he whispered to her how much he loved her, and begged her to promise
to be his wife.
She agreed willingly. Hiding her rosy face on his shoulder, she
confessed that she had loved him from the very first day that she
had seen him; and ever since that moment she had determined that, if
she could not wed him, she would wed no other man.
For a little time they sat together, rejoicing in their new-found
happiness. Then Earl Paul sprang to his feet.
“Let us go and tell the good news to my mother and my brother,” he
said. “Harold may be disappointed at first, for I know, Sweetheart,
he would fain have had thee for his own. But his good heart will
soon overcome all that, and he will rejoice with us also.”
But the Lady Morna shook her head. She knew, better than her lover,
what Earl Harold’s feeling would be; and she would fain put off the
evil hour.
“Let us hold our peace till after Yule,” she pleaded. “It will be a
joy to keep our secret to ourselves for a little space; there will
be time enough then to let all the world know.”
Rather reluctantly, Earl Paul agreed; and next day he set off for
the Palace at Orphir, leaving his lady-love behind him.
Little he guessed the danger he was in! For, all unknown to him, his
step-aunt, Countess Fraukirk, had chanced to be in the hall, the
evening before, hidden behind a curtain, and she had overheard every
word that Morna and he had spoken, and her heart was filled with
black rage.
For she was a hard, ambitious woman, and she had always hated the
young Earl, who was no blood-relation to her, and who stood in the
way of his brother, her own nephew; for, if Paul were only dead,
Harold would be the sole Earl of Orkney.
And now that he had
stolen the heart of the Lady Morna, whom her own nephew loved, her
hate and anger knew no bounds. She had hastened off to her sister’s
chamber as soon as the lovers had parted; and there the two women
had remained talking together till the chilly dawn broke in the sky.
Next day a boat went speeding over the narrow channel of water that
separates Pomona (on the mainland) from Hoy. In it sat a woman, but
who she was, or what she was like, no one could say, for she was
covered from head to foot with a black cloak, and her face was
hidden behind a thick, dark veil.
Snorro the Dwarf knew her, even before she laid aside her trappings,
for Countess Fraukirk was no stranger to him. In the course of her
long life she had often had occasion to seek his aid to help her in
her evil deeds, and she had always paid him well for his services in
yellow gold. He therefore welcomed her gladly; but when he had heard
the nature of her errand his smiling face grew grave again, and he
shook his head.
“I have served thee well, Lady, in the past,” he said, “but methinks
that this thing goeth beyond my courage. For to compass an Earl’s
death is a weighty matter, especially when he is so well beloved as
is the Earl Paul.
“Thou knowest why I have taken up my abode in this lonely spot—how I
hope some day to light upon the magic carbuncle. Thou knowest also
how the people fear me, and hate me too, forsooth. And if the young
Earl died, and suspicion fell on me, I must needs fly the Island,
for my life would not be worth a grain of sand.
Then my chance of success would be gone. Nay! I cannot do it, Lady;
I cannot do it.”
But the wily Countess offered him much gold, and bribed him higher
and higher, first with wealth, then with success, and lastly she
promised to obtain for him a high post at the Court of the King of
Scotland; and at that his ambition stirred within him, his
determination gave way, and he consented to do what she asked.
“I will summon my magic loom,” he said, “and weave a piece of cloth
of finest texture and of marvellous beauty; and before I weave it I
will so poison the thread with a magic potion that, when it is
fashioned into a garment, whoever puts it on will die ere he hath
worn it many minutes.”
“Thou art a clever knave,” answered the Countess, a cruel smile
lighting up her evil face, “and thou shalt be rewarded. Let me have
a couple of yards of this wonderful web, and I will make a bonnie
waistcoat for my fine young Earl and give it to him as a Yule-tide
gift. Then I reckon that he will not see the year out.”
“That will he not,” said Dwarf Snorro, with a malicious grin; and
the two parted, after arranging that the piece of cloth should be
delivered at the Palace of Orphir on the day before Christmas Eve.
Now, when the
Countess Fraukirk had been away upon her wicked errand, strange
things were happening at the Castle at Kirkwall. For Harold,
encouraged by his brother’s absence, offered his heart and hand once
more to the Lady Morna. Once more she refused him, and in order to
make sure that the scene should not be repeated, she told him that
she had plighted her troth to his brother. When he heard that this
was so, rage and fury were like to devour him. Mad with anger, he
rushed from her presence, flung himself upon his horse, and rode
away in the direction of the sea shore.
While he was galloping wildly along, his eyes fell on the snow-clad
hills of Hoy rising up across the strip of sea that divided the one
island from the other. And his thoughts flew at once to Snorro the
Dwarf, who he had had occasion, as well as his step-aunt, to visit
in bygone days.
“I have it,” he cried. “Stupid fool that I was not to think of it at
once. I will go to Snorro, and buy from him a love-potion, which
will make my Lady Morna hate my precious brother and turn her
thoughts kindly towards me.”
So he made haste to hire a boat, and soon he was speeding over the
tossing waters on his way to the Island of Hoy. When he arrived
there he hurried up the lonely valley to where the Dwarfie Stone
stood, and he had no difficulty in finding its uncanny occupant, for
Snorro was standing at the hole that served as a door, his raven on
his shoulder, gazing placidly at the setting sun.
A curious smile crossed his face when, hearing the sound of
approaching footsteps, he turned round and his eyes fell on the
young noble.
“What bringeth thee here, Sir Earl? ” he asked gaily, for he scented
more gold.
“I come for a love-potion,” said Harold; and without more ado he
told the whole story to the Wizard. “I will pay thee for it,” he
added, “if thou wilt give it to me quickly.”
Snorro looked at him from head to foot. "Blind must the maiden be,
Sir Orator,” he said, “who needeth a love-potion to make her fancy
so gallant a Knight.”
Earl Harold laughed angrily. “It is easier to catch a sunbeam than a
woman's roving fancy" he replied. “I have no time for jesting. For,
hearken, old man, there is a proverb that saith, ‘Time and tide wait
for no man' so I need not expect the tide to wait for me. The potion
I must have, and that instantly.”
Snorro saw that he was in earnest, so without a word he entered his
dwelling, and in a few minutes returned with a small phial in his
hand, which was full of a rosy liquid.
“Pour the contents of this into the Lady Morna's wine-cup,” he said,
“and I warrant thee that before four-and-twenty hours have passed
she will love thee better than thou lovest her now.”
Then he waved his hand, as if to dismiss his visitor, and
disappeared into his dwelling-place.
Earl Harold made all speed back to the Castle; but it was not until
one or two days had elapsed that he found a chance to pour the
love-potion into the Lady Morna's wine-cup. But at last, one night
at supper, he found an opportunity of doing so, and, waving away the
little pageboy, he handed it to her himself.
She raised it to her lips, but she only made a pretence at drinking,
for she had seen the hated Earl fingering the cup, and she feared
some deed of treachery. When he had gone back to his seat she
managed to pour the whole of the wine on the floor, and smiled to
herself at the look of satisfaction that came over Harold's face as
she put down the empty cup.
His satisfaction increased, for from that moment she felt so afraid
of him that she treated him with great kindness, hoping that by
doing so she would keep in his good graces until the Court moved to
Orphir, and her own true love could protect her.
Harold, on his side, was delighted with her graciousness, for he
felt certain that the charm was beginning to work, and that his
hopes would soon be fulfilled.
A week later the Court removed to the Royal Palace at Orphir, where
Earl Paul had everything in readiness for the reception of his
guests.
Of course he was overjoyed to meet Lady Morna again, and she was
overjoyed to meet him, for she felt that she was now safe from the
unwelcome attentions of Earl Harold.
But to Earl Harold the sight of their joy was as gall and
bitterness, and he could scarcely contain himself, although he still
trusted in the efficacy of Snorro- the Dwarf’s love-potion.
As for Countess Fraukirk and Countess Helga, they looked forward
eagerly to the time when the magic web would arrive, out of which
they hoped to fashion a fatal gift for Earl Paul.
At last, the day before Christmas Eve, the two wicked women were
sitting in the Countess Helga’s chamber talking of the time when
Earl Harold would rule alone in Orkney, when a tap came to the
window, and on looking round they saw Dwarf Snorro’s grey-headed
Raven perched on the sill, a sealed packet in its beak.
They opened the casement, and with a hoarse croak the creature let
the packet drop on to the floor; then it flapped its great wings and
rose slowly into the air again its head turned in the direction of
Hoy.
With fingers that trembled with excitement they broke the seals and
undid the packet. It contained a piece of the most beautiful
material that anyone could possibly imagine, woven in all the
colours of the rainbow, and sparkling with gold and jewels.
“’Twill make a bonnie waistcoat,” exclaimed Countess Fraukirk, with
an unholy laugh. “The Silent Earl will be a braw man when he gets it
on.”
Then, without more ado, they set to work to cut out and sew the
garment. All that night they worked, and all next day, till, late in
the afternoon, when they were putting in the last stitches, hurried
footsteps were heard ascending the winding staircase, and Earl
Harold burst open the door.
His cheeks were red with passion, and his eyes were bright, for he
could not but notice that, now that she was safe at Orphir under her
true love’s protection, the Lady Morna’s manner had grown cold and
distant again, and he. was beginning to lose faith in Snorro’s
charm.
Angry and disappointed, he had sought his mother’s room to pour out
his story of vexation to her.
He stopped short, however, when he saw the wonderful waistcoat lying
on the table, all gold and silver and shining colours: It was like a
fairy garment, and its beauty took his breath away.
“For whom hast thou purchased that?” he asked, hoping to hear that
it was intended for him.
“’Tis a Christmas gift for thy brother Paul,” answered his mother,
and she would have gone on to tell him how deadly a thing it was,
had he given her time to speak. But her words fanned his fury into
madness, for it seemed to him that this hated brother of his was
claiming everything.
“Everything is for Paul! I am sick of his very name,” he cried. “By
my troth, he shall not have this!” and he snatched the vest from the
table.
It was in vain that his mother and his aunt threw themselves at his
feet, begging him to lay it down, and warning him that there was not
a thread in it which was not poisoned. He paid no heed to their
words, but rushed from the room, and, drawing it on, ran downstairs
with a reckless laugh, to show the Lady Morna how fine he was.
Alas! alas! Scarce had he gained the hall than he fell to the ground
in great pain.
Everyone crowded round him, and the two Countesses, terrified now by
what they had done, tried in vain to tear the magic vest from his
body. But he felt that it was too late, the deadly poison had done
its work, and, waving them aside, he turned to his brother, who, in
great distress, had knelt down and taken him tenderly in his arms.
“I wronged thee, Paul,” he gasped. “For thou hast ever been true and
kind. Forgive me in thy thoughts, and,” he added, gathering up his
strength for one last effort, and pointing to the two wretched women
who had wrought all this misery, “Beware of those two women, for
they seek to take thy life.” Then his head sank back on his
brother’s shoulder, and, with one long sigh, he died.
When he learned what had happened, and understood where the
waistcoat came from, and for what purpose it had been intended, the
anger of the Silent Earl knew no bounds. He swore a great oath that
he would be avenged, not only on Snorro the Dwarf, but also on his
wicked stepmother and her cruel sister.
His vengeance was baulked, however, for in the panic and confusion
that followed Harold’s death, the two Countesses slipped out of the
Palace and fled to the coast, and took boat in haste to Scotland,
where they had great possessions, and where they were much looked up
to, and where no one would believe a word against them.
But retribution fell on them in the end, as it always does fall,
sooner or later, on everyone who is wicked, or selfish, or cruel;
for the Norsemen invaded the land, and their Castle was set on fire,
and they perished miserably in the flames.
When Earl Paul found that they had escaped, he set out in hot haste
for the Island of Hoy, for he was determined that the Dwarf, at
least, should not escape. But when he came to the Dwarfie Stone he
found it silent and deserted, all trace of its uncanny occupants
having disappeared.
No one knew what had become of them; a few people were inclined to
think that the Dwarf and his Raven had accompanied the Countess
Fraukirk and the Countess Helga on their flight, but the greater
part of the Islanders held to the belief, which I think was the true
one, that the Powers of the Air spirited Snorro away, and shut him
up in some unknown place as a punishment for his wickedness, and
that his Raven accompanied him.
At any rate, he was never seen again by any living person, and
wherever he went, he lost all chance of finding the magic carbuncle.
As for the Silent Earl and his Irish Sweetheart, they were married
as soon as Earl Harold’s funeral was over; and for hundreds of years
afterwards, when the inhabitants of the Orkney Isles wanted to
express great happiness, they said, “As happy as Earl Paul and the
Countess Morna.” |